RNCOS, an India-based market research firm, estimated that China’s cosmetics and toiletry market rose to an estimated $16.9 billion in 2008, as the country’s GDP soared. With such growth in consideration, the firm expects the market’s value to surpass $28 billion by 2012.

Color cosmetics and men’s fragrances have all taken off in China over the past year. Increased spending, driven by more disposable income and awareness of such products, have in turn called the attention of many major companies. As Estee Lauder sells to over 30 cities in the country, L’Oreal manages 16 brands total.

“Chinese people now like to try new things and advance products, and are more brand-conscious and more receptive to foreign ideas,” said Paolo Gasparrini, president and managing director of L’Oreal China, to the World Advertising Research Center.

China’s personal care market is second only to Japan’s, and is now the seventh largest in the world. But if it continues to report double-digit sales increases, China’s market could easily place within the top three within the next three years, as CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com reports. Paul Mak, president of Mary Kay’s Chinese division, even predicts that it will surpass the United States value in five.

After incremental increases in April and May, wholesale prices – as measured by the producer price index – rose by 1.8 percent, or twice as high as expected. Just as seen in November 2007, when wholesale prices rose by 3.2 percent, rising energy costs made up most of this increase. Gasoline prices alone rose by 18.5 percent last month.

But, without the consideration of food and energy costs, wholesale prices would have increased by just 0.5 percent. Prices for cosmetic and toilet preparations, in addition to soaps and synthetic detergents, had risen incrementally after falling in May.

This month’s increase has already scared Wall Street a bit, as shown through yesterday’s declining stocks. But economists remain assured that June’s wholesale price increase is only a momentary spike.

Brian Bethune, IHS Global Insight economist, predicts that prices will level off in July, as he told the Associated Press. Besides, with the current economy, companies still cannot justify jacking up their own prices to match.

Wholesale prices also may have slowly climbed in 2009, but they still add to an overall decline of 4.6 percent over the past 12 months.

“In this current retail climate, thoughtful and creative uses of color are that much more important,” said Laura Pressman, vice president of fashion, home and interiors, in a statement.

These colors palettes are meant for women’s wear, menswear, active wear, cosmetics, lifestyle, industrial design and graphics.

Furthermore the colors featured in its View Colour Planner should look really familiar. Inspiration stems from surrounding environments, be it the ground below or the sky above, if not ourselves:

• To create an Urban Field as described, natural hues should be used: “macrobiotic tones, dehydrated and preserved greens, and toasted nuances.”
• What Mimetic is imitating is a mosaic itself. Colors presented in small doses collectively make sense once analyzed from a distance.
• Keep mosaics in mind also for recreating Pantone’s Byzantine theme. The rest of it draws from old architecture and imperial palaces.
• Its Deconstructing/Reconstructing theme also revolves around the past, though this strictly deals with basic colors: traditional navy, bottle green, pillar box red, mid grey, ecru.
• “Deep, deep darks” serve as the Molecular foundation, as they are meant to bring together the other facets of the palette.
• In Pantone’s Universe, black also serves as the backdrop for saturated, layered colors “studded with starry accents.”
• To create an Urban Field as described, natural hues should be used: “macrobiotic tones, dehydrated and preserved greens.”
• Multiple Identity plays off of human bodies rather than celestial ones. Consider the “physical changes in skin” and “eye color after tears or no sleep” as suggested.
• The colors of Neuro Networks include benevolent greys, transparent blues, skin beiges, aura mauve and immaterial yellow. In this case, human bodies only serve as half of the inspiration, while the spirituality within provides the rest. Both can be unified with either “subtle high-tech or elegant raw aspects.”

For more information about Pantone’s latest View Colour Planner, visit its Web site.

They are what the industry is calling small indulgences, or even little luxuries that consumers are also refusing to give up. They offer high quality without a heavy price, while also a small dose of relief for today’s more stressed-out consumer.

Chocolate

Premium chocolate manufacturer Ghirardelli actually expects 2009 sales to exceed that of 2009, as reported by USA Today. Meanwhile, Cadbury and Nestle saw revenue increase by 7 percent or higher last month.

“Chocolate does fine in a recession, even a premium brand like ourselves,” said Fabrizio Parini, senior vice president of marketing. “Maybe our bar is double of what someone else’s is, but we’re still talking about $4 vs. $2.”

Cosmetics

As a whole, cosmetics sales have wavered less than other product categories because of a comparatively lower price and still high frequency of usage.

In an international survey reported by Skin Inc. magazine, 41 percent of respondents said they have been spending the same amount on cosmetics as they did before economists declared a recession.

And while drugstores brands are cheaper, few cosmetics consumers are giving up their department store favorites. The personalized service is an added bonus.

Fashion Accessories

For now cautious – but still fashion-conscious – customers, accessories can easily bring any outfit up to date for a smaller price. After all, while J. Crew prices a cashmere crewneck sweater as high as $145, its cashmere scarf costs $98.

As a result, demand from both retailers and consumers is still higher than expected. Last month, Hot Topic reported that accessory purchases same-store sales increase of 10.8 percent, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Readers, what high-quality items would you never give up, even as you cut back buying everything else?

TABS Group surveyed 1,000 consumers to find what they call a “significant gap between hype and reality of consumer purchase behavior” regarding organic products, including food as well as health and beauty care products.

Less than 40 percent of them purchased from major organic categories over the last six months, according to Kurt Jetta, TABS Group’s president and founder.

Consumers were most likely to purchase organic fresh fruit and vegetables. On the other hand, they were only 5 percent likely to purchase organic skin care products and 3 percent likely to buy organic cosmetics.

Jetta also argues that retailers investing heavily into the organic products trend will see a poor return. In the meantime, the development of organic products is still producing a buzz in the health and beauty care industry, after Estee Lauder’s Origins debuted in 1990 after L’Oreal acquired Sanoflore and The Body Shop in 2006.

On Dec. 18, Women’s Wear Daily awarded Physicians Formula’s Organic wear cosmetics with its “Breakthrough Product of the Year” award, in the mass market color cosmetics category.

“We are very pleased that Women’s Wear Daily has chosen to recognize the first-to-market originality of Organic wear,” said Ingrid Jackel, Physician Formula’s CEO.

The publication also reported Monday that L’Occitane en Provence, after long producing natural skin care products, will release its first organic facial skin care products in April. The five items in the Organic Olive Oil Cream Based Care include cleansing foam and milk, a masque, a moisturizer and a toning mist.

Rona Berg, once a beauty writer for The New York Times, created Organic Beauty magazine after noticing a rising concern from consumers regarding the ingredients in their cosmetics.

“We are launching Organic Beauty because we believe that going green is no longer just a trend,” the magazine’s first “Editor’s Letter” reads. The magazine debuted on Dec. 30.

Though the worth of the natural and organic cosmetics industry grew up to $7 million in 2007, today’s consumers may prioritize the use of natural ingredients differently than those of the past.

“Though organic items may offer some enticing benefits, at the end of the day, today’s consumers care more about price, and organic items normally cost a good deal more than their non-organic counterparts,” said Retailing Today in its analysis.

Consumers are more than 70 percent likely to buy such counterparts, according to the TABS Group study.